AMA Gypsy Tour

In 1917, the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) sanctioned its first official "Gypsy Tour" at Laconia. A Gypsy Tour was an overnight event with organized road rides and other activities of interest to motorcycle enthusiasts. THE Gypsy Tour could also refer to the whole series of these events. Gypsy Tours were held in various parts of the country, and typically occured on the same weekend every year. For Laconia, 1917 was considered the "First Annual" Gypsy Tour, even though an informal, unofficial gathering the year before had preceded it. The rally came to be known as the New England Gypsy Tour.
Below, a photo of the 1917 rally.



In 1991, the term Gypsy Tour was officially revived by the AMA. However, by that time the individual events had all gone their own way in naming themselves. In 1953, or perhaps even earlier, Laconia first called its event ” Motorcycle Week”, and that term has stuck to the current day.



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